Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-10
FEMALE WORKERS.
Happy Married Women Who Sup
port themselves.

pOEt themselves.
NEW YORK, April 9.-When Mrs. Har-
riet Beecher stowe received her pay
$50-for "Unole Toms Cabin" the check
was made payable to her husband. And
1t was considered quite the proper thing
by all the parties interested that it should
be, for in those days it would have sadly
outraged the conventionalities for wo-
man, as long as she had natural protec-
tor, to receive herself the money she had
earned. Quite as much of an outrage,
Indeed. to the conventionalities for the
wife TO receive it then as to the sense OF
justice nov for it to be paid to the hus-
band. The changes have been many and
great which have taken place in the con-
dltion of women during the last thirty
years, but this change in the economic
status OF married women is one Of the
most important of them all. Aud at the
same time 1t has come about the most
gradually and has attracted the least at
tention.
Nowadays the married woman who
has her own meney-winning occupation,
carries her own pocketbook, has ner own
bank account, buys presents for her bus
band with money that she hasn't first
begged from him, and in all ways 10 as
Independent financially as If she were not
spring or snow birds in winter. Perhaps
she is most frequent as the practicing
physician, married to another physician,
or lawyer, or newspaper man, or a
business man. The woman who writes,
either as a literary woman or a newsp6-
per woman, Is another frequent example.
recall one such, pioneer in newspaper
work, whose husband IL musician. The
savings from her Income have furnished
I2rOaF ha
bought pleasant suburban home with
grounds large enough Ter the three little
ones to have ample growing space. Sew
eral other newspaper women have mar
RED men engaged IN the same work and
continue their salaries and their individ-
ual pOcketDooks without thought that
1t is productive of other than increased
harmony and mutual pleasure and con-
venIence. And yet 1t isn't very long since
all the prophetic and preternaturally wise
people would have been sure that such a
state OF affairs would disrupt the family
and crack the foundations of tie State.
Selt-suppOrting married women are,
perhaps, more common among the pro-
LESSONS than in other lines OF work. but
they are to be found wherever women's
hands and women's brains earn money.
And 1t Is usually the professional women,
too, who support themselves because they
love work, and love independence, and
not because 1t is q financial necessity.
Inc IDEA is gaining ground among women,
both married and unmarried, that this IS
a much better and pleasanter state OF at
fairs than the OLD, which denied that
married woman had any incorporating
value, and considered her simply entitled
to so much ''supporp from her husband.
One frequently hears young women say:
81 don't think husband owes his wife
support, and shall not marry unless L
can continue to support myself and be as
Independent as l am now" Married
women who are self-supporting talk en-
Enthusiastically about the beauties and the
justice OF the system, aud those who can
not earn money themselves turn over in
their minds very louglngly schemes OF
money making, 0nsTof these busy mar
ried women, who with one hand keeps
her household machinery in order, and
with the other earns enough money to pay
her personal and share OF the household
expenses and keep neat little bank &C.
count besides, said to me the other day:
sit Is queer that this matter has attracted
SO little attention. To my mind 1t Is a
change more important, farther-reaching
and destined to work greater results than
suffrage"
FLORENCE FINCH KELLY.